Born From Dust
by Biskoff
Summary: As one of the greatest Hunter Academies in the world, Beacon takes in students from all walks of life. From The Invincible Girl to an early-admitted scythe-user to a ninja from a distant continent. Trials and training await as they take up the mantle to protect the world from darkness. But as enemies plot and prepare, will it be enough to keep mankind from crumbling back into dust?
1. Selection

Chapter 1

Selection

Naruto walked up the massive stairway along the wall of Konoha. Dozens of meters high, immensely thick and encircling the entire city, it was one of the largest structures on the continent.

He finished the trek upwards, about half the height of the wall, and then took a left turn. It was one of the only sections of the wall that wasn't completely solid all the way through. There was a small passage from one side of the wall to the other. The interior was open to allow access for students and ninja patrols to come and go without heading to the main gate or scaling the entire structure.

Nearly all of his class was here already. Naruto sighed as he took in the sight of his classmates. Plenty were from old warrior clans but just as many were from civilian parents or even orphans. They all wanted to become ninja and defend Konoha. Both from the Grimm and their human enemies.

He exhaled nervously as he made his way past the occupied departure stalls. Some of the students shook their heads at him as he passed, muttering under their breath about his grades or his failings or about animals having lowered standards. He nearly snarled at them before forcible keeping himself in check.

Naruto took a spot at one of the empty deployment ramparts. He set his hands on the rail and leaned forward to look at the treetops below.

This was it. This was the first step of the last part of their training.

He'd be an official ninja. Not field ready, no. Not until he finished the Academy in a few more years. But this test meant they were capable. It was a symbol of progress, skill, and strength.

Naruto glanced to his right and saw Sasuke Uchiha. Like always, the boy's face was impassive. His hands were lightly gripped around his own weapon. His stance was easy and his shoulders were free of any tension. It was as if this pivotal test was nothing more than another boring lecture to him.

It pissed Naruto off that he could look so nonchalant for something so important.

Sakura was in the space next to Sasuke, her own weapon strapped to her back. Naruto grimaced at the sight of the familiar weapon. It might be in its standby mode but he was fully aware of the pain that thing could bring. He absently rubbed the most recent spot she'd hit him with it when he had last asked her out.

Iruka Umino stepped forward onto the raised section at the start of the balcony. The scarred man and Naruto had never fully seen eye to eye but he was a good, honest teacher. It was just that Iruka had a habit of _not forgetting_ certain things. Things that he could and did hold against Naruto. "In preparation for this test the patrol teams have allowed an increased amount of Grimm to reside within the forest."

"In preparation for this test the patrol teams have allowed an increased amount of Grimm to reside within the forest."

One of Naruto's fox ears twitched in the direction of Kiba, as the fellow faunus retracted and extended the serrated claws on the fingertips of his gauntlets.

Naruto reached back and tightened his hand on grip of his collapsed weapon. With a flick of a switch the collapsed form of his weapon came undone, expanding to a much greater length. The weapon slid and shifted, sections clicking and locking into place around his hands to act as handle for his weapon's melee mode. The soft scraping of metal on metal was almost comforting to hear.

Past Kiba he heard the soft whispers of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio. A group of families that had been allies long before the Shinobi Wars, before Konoha's founding and The Great War 80 years ago.

Umino's voice softened as he continued. "You have all trained for this. Still, for many of you this will be your first real sortie against the Grimm. Your first true life and death battle. There is no shame in turning away."

The instructor hesitated, allowing everyone a moment to step back away from the edge.

Some of the students looked more nervous than others. Most of them were from the civilian families or those who took their training lightly. A few scoffed at the idea of letting the Grimm frighten them.

No one stepped back.

"Your task is simple. When the bell rings you will leave the wall and head into the forest. In the distance directly ahead is a shrine that holds your Konoha headbands. There is one for each of you. You will retrieve a single headband and return here."

 _You will leave the wall._

A simple phrase that had so much meaning. Though Naruto had left the city before with Jiraiya multiple times, it had never really been with the intent to combat the Grimm. Always training or learning or... other stuff.

But now? They were being sent out to fight Grimm without aid or support. It would be their first real, _official_ trial as ninjas. As loyal soldiers of Konoha.

"It is four kilometers to the shrine and four kilometers back. You may utilize whatever strategy you wish. If you wish to run the entire way and avoid every Grimm, you may. If you destroy every beast in your path, you may. You can team up to combine your strength or fight individually. There is only a single rule. Do not attack each other. Each and every person who succeeds will have graduated as students from the Shinobi Preparatory Institute and be admitted as a full genin into Konoha's Ninja Academy for your final years of training, in class and under a jounin instructor.

"On my mark you will-" Iruka broke off. The lined up ninja-in-training all turned and stared at the cause.

A massive man with long white hair was speaking in low tones to Iruka. Naruto would have recognized the green outfit and wooden sandals anywhere. Most of the other students recognized him as well after several seconds of staring. Whispers broke out at the famous man's presence.

Naruto's eyes were wide. Jiraiya? What was he doing here? Why now?

Iruka visibly raised an eyebrow at something the older ninja said and opened his tablet. After tapping through several screens and reading for nearly a minute, he nodded.

"Naruto. You're being pulled out."

Naruto stared in mute shock. He heard Kiba snicker. "Aw man, what'd you do this time?"

It was like a message to all of the other students. Whispers and jokes spread across the balcony, all at the blonde faunus' expense.

Naruto tried to keep his head high as he walked past his classmates. He passed Sasuke, who said nothing. He didn't need to. A single glance from the dark haired teen conveyed everything.

* * *

"I am supposed to have a headband by now." Naruto was practically shaking in anger at the old pervert. No matter how much Jiraiya might have done for him over the years, this was simply too much.

"Yeah, well. You don't." Jiraiya smile was infuriatingly calm.

Naruto stared fiercely at the old pervert.

"I- I… I don't even- I just don't. Why would you pull me out like that!? In front of _everyone_! I was going to be a ninja! I was about to be a real ninja!"

Jiraiya brushed aside the issue. "Pfft. What do their opinions matter?"

"I was going to prove I wasn't the _dead last_ for one thing!"

"You haven't been dead last for years. Your test scores still suck but your physical grades are great. Hell, you're tied for number one in class when it comes to combat, much thanks to me. They already know that. The test wouldn't have changed anything. As for proving yourself? You'll get the chance. In fact, I'd even say you'll be getting the chance of a lifetime. You'll have to live up to those words."

Naruto stopped pacing back and forth and looked at Jiraiya with squinted, suspicious eyes.

"What did you do?"

From the table, Naruto's scroll rang.

Naruto scowled even deeper. " _What did you do_?"

"Answer the phone, kid. It's rude to leave people waiting." Jiraiya's soft smile was mocking.

Naruto sighed and took a deep breath before quickly snatching up the phone. "What the hell is it?"

Ok. So he could have made himself a _little_ more calm.

His eyes widened and then he glared at Jiraiya as the voice continued. "I'm sorry, ma'am. Yes. Yes, I'm Naruto. Yes."

Jiraiya waited patiently in his chair as he heard only half of the conversation. He idle reached over and peeled open an untouched banana from the fruit bowl.

Finally the phone call ended and Naruto tapped the screen off on his scroll.

"So we're going to the Hokage's office."

Jiraiya nodded and said sarcastically. "Somehow, I _had_ guessed that."

* * *

Sarutobi puffed on his pipe as Naruto fidgeted from across the desk. He spoke as he tapped against the screen of his computer.

"I understand that you wanted to participate in the live combat examination today. But it was necessary that you did not. I would have informed you earlier, but there was some debate on whether or not you would be chosen. There was an _awful lot_ of debate on this. I didn't want things to fall through and you to miss the exam on nothing more than a technicality and missed paperwork."

Naruto swallowed thickly. Being in this office brought him back to his younger years and all the times he'd been brought in for punishment due to his pranks and 'disobedient behavior'. Even when he had done nothing wrong, it still felt like he was being scolded when he was in here.

"I understand." He really didn't.

The Hokage hummed thoughtfully.

"You don't actually know why you're in here, do you?" The old man's eyes crinkled in amusement.

"…no."

Sarutobi chuckled. "You know I remember when you were first dragged into this office. You egged the Haruno's shop and spray-painted all over every single one of their advertisements for six blocks."

Naruto shrugged uncomfortably. That was so long ago. He barely remembered it. "Yeah, well. Sakura's parents are kind of racist. They threw me out of their store when I was looking at weapons."

"They threw you out because you kept trying to shoplift."

Naruto didn't exactly have a retort for that. It wasn't quite how he remembered it but then it _was_ a long time ago. He did remember promising to pay them back when he became Hokage.

' _Huh.'_ Naruto blinked. _'Looking back it was kind of my fault.'_

He'd never admit it out loud though.

The Hokage continued. "Still, you managed to turn your act around. Even if it did take some extreme methods and... several mistakes."

Naruto grimaced. Calling Jiraiya's initiation, tutelage and scoldings 'extreme' were a massive understatement. He still shivered in remembrance. He'd been utterly worthless until the man had taken him under his wing. Yet in some ways the man had made the blonde's early teenage years much worse than they would have been before they'd gotten much better.

"Which is also part of the reason you are here. The reason why I didn't have you take the exam to become a ninja, was because you will not be becoming a ninja." The Hokage said plainly. He watched Naruto's reaction keenly and the faunus didn't disappoint.

"… _what_?" The blonde felt like he'd had the wind kicked out of him.

"Due to a variety of factors -your grades, skills, history, personality and so forth- it has been decided that you will be transferring to Beacon Academy in the Kingdom of Vale. There you will train to become a Huntsman. The first Huntsman from Konoha."

"But- but ninja are already like-" Naruto tried to protest.

"Like? Yes. But we are not." Sarutobi sighed before continuing. "I have always felt that Konoha needs to be more involved with the world at large. Our cities have been too focused on each other, seeing enemies and grudges for too long. We must move past it. Ninjas are soldier, huntsman, and police all in one. And therein lays our first difficulty. Huntsmen owe allegiance to _no_ nation." He gestured sharply.

"A ninja serves Konoha first." Naruto said out loud as he made the realization.

"Yes. And so I cannot give you a headband."

"But- but I'm _me_. If I screw up then what happens?" It was a frightening experience to have so much depending on him.

"Konoha will have some egg on its face but nothing truly drastic. It is more important that you be open-minded while you attend, proving to the world that Konoha can see beyond itself and wishes to be involved in coexistence and cooperation. More than anything, it is symbolic of our goodwill and desire to uphold our other pacts with the kingdoms. While you train in Beacon, we will be receiving teachers and students for our own Hunter program. This offering, this shift towards training both Huntsmen and ninja was part of the agreement that got Konoha the CCT tower."

Naruto nodded. He knew that there had been concessions made and agreements hammered out. The tower wouldn't be completed for many more months but when it was it would connect Konoha to the communication network the four kingdoms used.

"But this is also for you, Naruto." The Hokage continued.

' _For me?_ ' Naruto really didn't see how sending him halfway across the world was doing him a favor.

"Tell me, what did you do this last weekend?"

"Umm… I trained." The faunus answered.

"And the weekend before that?"

"…I trained? Did my homework?"

Sarutobi's smile was kind, but also slightly pained. "Let me rephrase the question. Did you do anything fun _with your classmates_ in the last month or so?"

Naruto bit his lip. Oh. Friends. Yeah. He'd had this conversation before. It wasn't _his_ fault -not entirely at least- that he didn't have any friends. He might be invited to spars and training sessions, but when it came to personal events he was largely left out. He was used to it by now. It hadn't bothered him in a long time.

"Naruto. I understand your childhood was not… conventional. The life of an orphaned faunus is not easy and prejudice can be hard to overcome. Orochimaru and the upturn in White Fang activity undid decades of stability with faunus relations, which only made things harder. Which is why I want you to attend Beacon. There will be no preconceived notions about you. You will have a chance to start fresh, to do the best you can and make a life for yourself unshadowed by the past."

Naruto grimaced. It sounded nice. It did. But it would mean giving up everything he'd ever known.

"I suppose so. I'll do my best, sir."

"I hope so. Be yourself but study hard. Excel. The eyes of Beacon and the other Academies, of the Four Kingdoms and the Five Cities will be upon you."

Suddenly Naruto didn't feel nearly as confident. He gave a very strained smiled and asked. "I don't suppose I can quit now and spare us all the embarrassment?"

Sarutobi laughed gently. Naruto chuckled alongside the Hokage as the man got up and walked around the desk. "Well, if you are so uncertain, I suppose I can always look into-"

The Hokage clamped a hand onto Naruto's shoulder and his face hardened in an instant. " _No_."

* * *

As Naruto looked around at his nearly empty apartment, he couldn't really place what he was feeling. He'd never gotten into the habit of collecting trinkets and most gifts he'd gotten from Jiraiya or the Hokage over the years were functional. He had no mementos, few toys, and most of his shelf space had been taken up with textbooks, notebooks, spare weapons, and the occasional magazine.

Yet with so many of his belongings packed away or sold back to the prep institute, it was almost as if no one had lived here. The only things really left were his plants on the windowsill and the dishes and utensils in the cabinets.

It was bizarre how quickly and easily he had packed up his life. It had barely taken an afternoon. He had plenty of free time before the airship left in a few hours. Which left him plenty of time to think about just how lonely his apartment felt when he wasn't working on an assignment or out training.

It was depressing and Naruto had never like focusing on depressing things. There was always a good side to everything. Always. Even if it took some time and effort to find it.

He scratched his whisker cheek in reflection. _'Maybe… maybe this will be good for me. The old man knows what he's doing. He always has.'_

The blonde sat down on his couch next to his duffel bags. He went over the mental checklist one more time. Clothes, books, toiletries, his phone, his weapon, ammunition for his weapon, and a few snacks for the trip. Plus one small potted plant that he'd be taking.

He sighed one more time, picked up the potted plant on his table, and started to haul out his luggage. He made his way down the first floor and went to one door in particular. The only stop left was to the landlord to drop off a utilities letter and his spare key.

He banged on the door. "Landlady, I gotta drop off my spare key."

Three seconds later the door opened. The landlady, still clothed in her nightgown at three in the afternoon with a cigarette in her lips and a dozen curlers in her hair, scowled at him. "Why?"

"I'm heading to Vale. I'll be back here next summer for sure, but I'm not sure about winter break. The letter says why and to shut off my power and water."

The landlady rolled the cigarette from one side of her mouth to the other.

The landlord, a mustached man in bright pajamas, swayed into view and waved and winked at Naruto from behind his wife. "Oh, that's nice. I hope you have fun. Bring back some pretty girls, hmm?" He waggled his eyebrows at Naruto.

The landlady backhanded him without turning around. Her husband was tossed off his feet. A slipper went flying. She snarled. "Pretty girls, my ass!"

Naruto winced. These two never changed. He wondered how they ever fell in love.

The landlady snatched the letter and key out of his hand. "Get going! Good riddance! You use too much water!" Then she slammed the door in his face.

Naruto waited for a moment as he heard the couple arguing through the door. "But I was just kidding! You know you're the only woman for-ugh!"

The blonde shook his head, smiling as he left the apartment complex. Everyone in the apartment building knew the landlords loved each other. Everyone knew they were retired, powerful shinobi. But no one seemed to know how they hadn't killed each other after so many years.

With the last of his business taken care of, he walked towards the nearest tram station.

Konoha was situated within and in front of a large valley. The valley itself was enclosed on all sides by steep slopes with much of Konoha's infrastructure, encircled by the wall, rested in front the western cliff face. While the valley itself was contained plenty of buildings, much of the land inside was devoted to training fields or farmland. The mountains that surrounded the valley were dotted with multiple bunkers and defense installations. Built directly into the mountainsides and armed with both ninja and cannons, Konoha truly was a fortress city.

Konoha's only air port, only recently completed, was on the other side of the city. The port was built into the ridge of the eastern mountains and since no civilian air traffic was allowed directly above Konoha, it meant the trip to the airport would take a good chunk of time.

By the time he had taken the tram through the Hokage Mountain, across the valley and to the eastern ridge, the sun was just starting to fall upon the horizon. From the air port's terminals he had a perfect view of the valley below. The red light dancing across Konoha's buildings, forests and lakes always reminded him of what the Hokage had once said.

' _Konoha._ _When the tree leaves dance, one shall find flames. The fire's shadow will illuminate the village, and once again, tree leaves shall bud anew. The old gives way to the new._ '

The blonde spent a long moment looking down at the valley. Then Naruto smiled fondly. This was his home. This was the city he loved. This was the place he would fight to protect, even if he fought a continent away. He'd never forget that.

"I'll be back."

* * *

"So that's Beacon. Damn."

He looked at the pamphlet in his hands as clouds rolled past the airship's side window. He'd be seeing it soon enough in person, but even the pictures of Beacon were impressive. It was far larger than Konoha's academy and its preparatory school _combined_. Yet he was just one student among many on board the airship that was approaching it. Students from across the world were here… but he was the only one from Konoha.

He scratched the back of his neck anxiously. _'Make friends. How do you even do that?'_

"Ugh." A mop of blonde hair much like his own rushed by. Naruto turned to stare as the teen put his face directly into a nearby trash can.

"You, uh, you alright?" Naruto asked.

"I'm fine. I just get airsick easily. I'll be good once we land."

"Yeah. You might want to work on that though." Naruto patted the fellow blonde on the back.

"Haha, yeah, probably. Oh, I'm Jaune." Jaune waved a hand from its spot on the garbage bin. Then the teen blinked rapidly and tried to stand up. He was slightly woozy in the attempt. "Uh, I mean, _I'm_ Jaune Arc, future Hunstman." He gestured to his armored chestplate grandly.

Naruto smiled in amusement at the other blonde's attempt to impress. _He_ would never try to introduce himself like that.

"Naruto Uzumaki, future Hokage." The fox faunus preened. He pulled up on the collar of his leather jacket as he put a wide grin on his face.

Or maybe he would.

Jaune looked at him curiously. "Ho-what-now?"

Naruto was about to explain what the role of Hokage was before he realized something. "I- you know I'm guess I'm not anymore. Huh. Future Huntsman, as well. Pleased to meet ya."

He tried to push the thought of him not being a ninja, of never being a ninja or ever becoming Hokage out of his mind. It wasn't easy to do. Becoming Hokage was his _dream_. But the old man had sent him here. The Hokage had ordered him here. He would give it chance, even if he didn't really want to. Besides, maybe there was a way around it? To be both a Huntsman and Hokage?

There was a moment of awkward silence before Jaune groaned and put his head back down. Naruto smiled unsurely. What did you do when someone was airsick?

The news streams cut off suddenly and a holographic image of a blonde woman came up. She had piercing green eyes and a small cape draped from her shoulders.

"Hello and welcome to Beacon." The woman stated. A quick glance showed that she was being aired across the whole section of the ship.

"You know who that is?" Naruto asked.

"No idea." Jaune answered between deep breaths. He still gripped the edge of the trash can.

"I am Glynda Goodwitch. You are among the privileged few who have received the honor of being selected to attend this prestigious academy. Our world is experiencing an incredible time of peace, and as future Hunstmen and Huntresses it is your duty to uphold it."

"No pressure, huh?" Naruto joked. He was feeling about as sick as Jaune looked. It was too much, too big. Why couldn't he just be a ninja?

Jaune seemed to agree with the sentiment, giving a moan and rubbing his head in anxiety at the upcoming trials.

"You have demonstrated the courage needed for such a task, and now it is _our_ turn to provide you with the knowledge and training to protect our world."

The image of the blonde woman faded and the windows brightened to let the passengers see Beacon for the fit

Its main tower reached high into the sky and he could see the sprawling dormitories and buildings even from here. The massive waterfall and river it was situated next to gave it a picturesque beauty. With the forest and mountains in the background, the scene truly was amazing.

"Wow." Naruto breathed.

"Yeah." Jaune agreed. Then his face turned green as the ship rocked slightly from a patch of turbulence. "Oh, no."

* * *

AN: So I've been on the bench about this. I wanted to a RWBY and Naruto story. But how should I do it? Make a fusion or just a crossover inserting a few characters? Do I include chakra or make it aura only? How does event X affect character y?

I've decided to go for it. This is a fusion. RWBY is the 'dominant' verse, so there will be more changes to the Naruto side than the RWBY side. Ninjutsu has been replaced with Dust and Aura, for starters. I know some people may not like that, but it gives me more freedom with the story and I think I've got an interesting plot planned.

Before the five great nations and fortress cities, small empires, clans, and nomads fought each other as much as they fought Grimm. The Warring Clans Era. Eventually the Senju and Uchiha created Konoha after the anti-individual faction of The Great War made first contact. The battles left them at risk of being overrun by Grimm. As more clans and settlements from across the region joined, neighboring territories and groups feared that kind of combined power and followed suit. The five 'fortress-cities' are all less than a century old and the western Four Kingdoms had only intermittent contact with them. This continued until just after the Third Ninja War, when Sarutobi took up the Hokage hat again and started creating a real alliance and peace.

Each city-state individually can't match one of the four great kingdoms, but they are still powerful and do make themselves known in world politics. Many people from the Kingdoms call the inhabitants of the continent foolish or worse. They are one of the only places where open conflict between human nations has happened regularly since the end of The Great War.

As for Naruto being an orphan, what happened to his parents and the events of his childhood? The Tailed Beasts? Akatsuki? Well, that will be revealed later. Like I said, I've really been trying to make things unique while keeping true to certain themes and events.

A further description of Naruto's weapon and fighting style will be revealed later. I hope you look forward to Beacon's Initiation.

Sasuke's and Sakura's weapons are... well. Sakura's at least was described as powerful and Naruto is far more familiar with it than he'd like. You'll see it in action eventually. Sasuke's I'll keep under wraps for now. Though Konoha is exiting the picture for now, it isn't gone forever.

Also, who can guess where Naruto's landlord and landlady come from?


	2. Welcome to Beacon

Chapter 2

Welcome to Beacon

"So where do we go now?" Jaune wiped his mouth clean with a paper towel. The pair was still at the cliffside docking bays. When Jaune was finally finishing his experience with the local garbage bins and Naruto taking a quick look at the water port below them and the surrounding lake, the pair was ready to explore the campus.

Naruto shrugged and readjusted his red leather jacket. It was his good one: a dark red with a black flame design on the bottom. Jiraiya had given to him as a gift on his last birthday. "I think we've got some time until Ozpin gives his speech. We have to head to the amphitheater for that."

He pulled out the orientation pamphlet again and looked it over. Being at Beacon was almost disorienting. Main Avenue was long and wide. The central courtyard was huge. Beacon Tower was utterly massive and held of dozens of crossways into other parts of the campus. Then there were the many spires and buildings which seemed to have winding paths connecting each other.

"Let's just walk and see where we wind up." Naruto suggested. The story of his life, really. Start something and see what happens.

They hadn't walked for more than two minutes when 'something' happened. A large something. A heavy BOOM from up ahead brought their walk to a halt. Moments later a huge gust of wind passed over them. The pamphlet was pulled out of a shocked Naruto's fingers.

"Is that normal?" Jaune asked as he pointed in the direction of the sound. There was a huge cloud of smoke spreading through the air with arcs of lightning and spontaneous gusts of snowflakes appearing inside and around it at random.

"I don't think so. That's looks like a Dust explosion. I've been in a few of those." Naruto very pointedly didn't say he caused them. "It could've been much worse than that."

Jaune and Naruto started to jog over to see if anyone needed help.

As they approached they both heard a girl start to shout and hesitantly slowed down. Those were 'I'm angry' shouts. Not 'I'm in pain' shouts. And if two teenage boys knew anything, it was to approach an angry teenage girl with caution. If there was a girl-fight going on, it would probably be in their best interest to arrive at the end of it.

When the Dust cloud finally cleared and the blondes could really see what was happening, it looked like most of the action had ended. There was one girl in bright white clothing strutting away towards the campus with a cart full of equally white luggage, a girl in black and white was walking off while pulling out a book, and a girl in a red cloak and skirt was standing all by herself looking dejected. All around her the sidewalk was cracked and scorched from the Dust detonation. Her cloak and face was also covered in a fine layer of soot. She started coughing as she patted herself clean and caused the soot to scatter.

"She doesn't look too happy."

"No she doesn't." Jaune agreed. Then he smiled. "Well, let's try and change that. Strangers are just friends you haven't met yet."

' _Friends.'_ The faunus thought. That was part of why the Hokage had sent him here. He thought he had one already in Jaune, so he was off to a good start. Maybe things wouldn't be so bad here?

As Jaune and Naruto approached the girl, she hung her head low and groaned. She dropped to her knees and lowered her head. Then to complete the image of sadness, she let herself fall onto back and stared up at the sky.

"…welcome to Beacon." The girl muttered. It was clear the girl wasn't having a good first day.

Both of the boys heard the self-deprecation. Naruto frowned as he was reminded of the many, many times he'd spoken similar self-mocking words to an empty playground or apartment.

Jaune hesitated a moment before he steeled himself and walked up to her.

"Hey." He leaned forward and reached his hand out for the girl to take. "I'm Jaune. This is Naruto."

The girl opened her eyes –silver, Naruto noticed- and stared at Jaune. She glanced at Naruto before moving back to look at Jaune's hand. For a moment she didn't move or reply. Then she looked to the side and shyly spoke as she took his hand.

"Ruby."

Jaune pulled Ruby to her feet and for a few seconds everything seemed wonderful. Naruto was happy that the girl seemed friendly. Jaune was happy that the girl hadn't slapped his hand away. Ruby was happy that there seemed to be people willing to give her a chance despite her awkwardness.

Then Ruby ruined the moment by snorting a laugh. "Wait, aren't you the guy that threw up on the ship?"

* * *

"All I'm saying is that motion sickness is a much more common problem than people let on." Jaune continued to ramble as the trio walked through the main courtyard of the campus.

Naruto laughed loudly at his friend's protests. "It's alright, Jaune. We get it. But you definitely need to work on it. Whoever heard of a hero who throws up on the way to save the day?"

Jaune looked chagrined at Naruto but still smiled at the jab.

"Yes, look, I'm sorry. Vomit-boy was the first thing that came to mind." Ruby apologized once more. The apology might have been more endearing if she stopped using the name 'vomit-boy'.

"Oh yeah, what if I called you… crater-face?" Jaune said with a teasing grin.

"That explosion was an accident!" Ruby protested.

" _Perhaps_. But the name's Jaune Arc. Short, sweet, rolls of the tongue. The ladies love it." Jaune gestured to himself ostentatiously.

Instantly, Naruto knew that kind of introduction given to a girl would never work. Why? Because it was _exactly_ the kind of thing Jiraiya would say. He'd seen those kinds of introductions and come-ons fail _every single time_. Naruto might not know what worked when it came to women, but he also knew what didn't work. Which was that.

Ruby lived up to his expectation. "Do they?" She asked skeptically.

"Oh, they will! Well, I hope they will, I mean my mom always says that… you know what never mind." Jaune mumbled at the end.

Ruby chuckled at Jaune's attempt at explaining and then realized the conversation was stalling. She searched for a different topic and in true Ruby fashion, she found one.

She thought about weapons. Her weapon.

"So… I got this thing." And without further she unfolded a freaking scythe with a staff that looked like it had a heavy caliber sniper rifle built into it and a blade as _long as she was tall_.

Naruto whistled appreciatively. He looked at the segmented blade and the rifle it was attached to critically. The red and black coloring was nice. It wasn't orange, but it was still nice. Plus for the girl to have fit the entire thing into a standby mode that small without compromising its durability or function meant it was _expertly_ designed.

In his opinion his own weapon was naturally superior. Naturally. But that scythe was damn impressive.

"Woah! Is that a scythe?" Jaune took a step backwards. The unfolding blade had come a _little_ too close for comfort when Ruby stabbed its tip into the sidewalk.

"It's also a customizable high impact sniper rifle." She smiled. She held the weapon up with pride.

"Uh-wha?"

Ruby cocked the weapon. "It's also a gun."

"Oh." Jaune glanced over the large scythe silently before he shook his head in amazement. "Well, that's cool!"

"It really is. What's it fire?" Naruto asked. Just out of curiosity. He certainly wasn't judging it next to his. Certainly not.

" _Customizable_." Ruby practically swooned over the rifle. Was- was she stroking it? Yes she was. "It fires all sorts of rounds. I've got gravity rounds that aid in my movement, and lightning rounds for when I need to shock and subdue, and Burn Dust impactor shells if I need something to explode. I've been trying to find some starburst-type Earth Dust rounds for shrapnel but I haven't managed to find any. I've never really needed to use most of those in the field but I have them if I need them. In addition I put on a rotator system on the head-joint, to change the angle of the blade and... and... and..." Ruby smiled unsurely as she noticed Naruto and Jaune were just staring at her blankly. Suddenly she felt like she'd gone overboard in describing her baby.

"Well! What about you guys? What have you got, Jaune?"

He fumbled for a moment. "Oh! Uh, well, I've got this sword." Jaune drew his sword and raised it. He looked somewhat insecure when comparing his standard broadsword to Ruby's beast of a weapon.

"Oooh." Ruby didn't judge though. She eagerly looked over the fine craftsmanship of the sword. It wasn't obvious but she could tell the sword was well made and maintained.

"Yeah, got a shield, too." Jaune took the sheath from his waste and flicked a small switch at the handle. The sheath quickly expanded into a large heater shaped shield with a crest on it.

"So, what do they do?" Ruby tapped the shield only for it to partially collapse. Jaune fumbled with it for a few seconds before he managed to catch the shield between his free hand and the fist around the hilt of his sword.

"Well, the shield collapses into the sheath. So when I get tired of holding it can just… put it away."

"Doesn't it weigh the same though?" Ruby asked. Naruto nodded in agreement.

Jaune's shoulders slumped. "…yeah, it does."

Naruto laughed lightly. "Good weight training, I guess."

"Well, I'm kind of a dork when it comes to weapons. I guess I _might_ have gone a _little_ overboard in designing Crescent Rose." Ruby grinned sheepishly.

"Wait, you _made_ that?" Jaune asked in astonishment as he pointed at the scythe.

"Of course, all students at Signal forge their own weapons. Didn't you make yours?"

"…It's a hand-me-down. My great-great-grandfather used it to fight in the war." Jaune seemed uncomfortable with the shift in topic.

Naruto's brow furrowed. Maybe he had family problems? But if Jaune had been given an ancient family weapon to use in battle then Naruto wasn't sure that was case. Maybe he was just insecure because it didn't have a gun?

"Sounds more like a family heirloom to me. _I_ like it! Not many people have an appreciation for the classics these days." Ruby tried to cheer him up.

Naruto decided to throw in his own support. "She's right, you know. Family weapons that last like that are usually pretty awesome. And if you got into Beacon with it then I bet your weapon is better than you think." The fox faunus rapped Jaune's shoulder with his knuckles.

"Yeah. The classics. Pretty awesome." Jaune tried to smile at both of them in quiet thanks but Naruto and Ruby could tell it was forced. Despite the compliments, Jaune looked even more uncomfortable.

As Naruto was about to unfold his own weapons from their storage form and show off its abilities, Ruby spoke again.

"So… why did you two help me back there?" Ruby wanted to try and change the conversation to something less sensitive. Jaune perked up and seemed to appreciate it.

"It's like my mother always said, 'strangers are just friends you haven't met yet'."

Ruby hummed thoughtfully and Naruto smiled sadly. Both took the words differently.

To Ruby, who was introverted and awkward, it was a wise advice about being friendly and open-minded. A stranger wouldn't be a stranger once you started talking to them.

To Naruto it was an unpleasant reminder that for him to even have these two new friends, friends he'd made in a single afternoon after trying for _years_ in Konoha, he'd had to leave his home. The only friends he would make were people who didn't _know_ him.

"Hey, where are we going?" Ruby asked. She glanced at their surroundings and noticed that nothing really locked familiar. Beacon Tower was _that_ way… but how would they get over there?

"I was following Naruto."

"…I was following Ruby."

They stood quietly for a several seconds as each came to realize they'd gotten lost on campus without even trying.

Naruto snapped his fingers as he remembered. "Wait, wait! It's alright, I have my pamphlet. It has a map." Naruto reached into his jacket pocket and felt… nothing. He searched the other pocket. Nothing. He looked at his two friends, both of whom were wearing expressions of growing panic and realization.

"It's not alright. I don't have my pamphlet."

* * *

As they entered the main amphitheater Ruby was called over by her sister. It was a quick and abrupt parting, but neither Naruto nor Jaune was going to keep Ruby away from her other friends. They still weren't very happy about it.

"Aw great, where else am I gonna find a nice, quirky girl to talk to?" Jaune shook his head at Ruby's departure. Naruto chuckled before he took several steps further into the amphitheater and took a look for some empty spots closer to the stage.

"Did someone say a nice, quirky girl!?"

Then suddenly there was another. Standing between him and Jaune was a girl. A full head and shoulders below Naruto, the tiny girl was shorter than even Ruby. She had orange hair and wore a pink skirt and black and white armored top. To top it off… she had grenade launcher strapped to her back.

Jaune stared at her blankly before snapping into what Naruto was quickly coming to call his 'Jiraiya-mode'. "Uh, yes. Yes I was. Jaune Arc, future huntsman extraordinaire, and I must say you may be the quirkiest girl I have ever seen." Then he blinked and realized what he said. "Wait, I-"

The girl stared at him seriously for a moment but seeming to take it as an immense compliment. She practically squealed. "Oh you have _no idea_! I am Nora Valkyrie! Consumer of gourmet pancakes and purveyor of fine Ursa skin rugs."

Jaune nodded slowly before a thought occurred to him. "But, uh, don't Grimm disappear after they die? What do you make the rugs out of?"

Nora gasped in shock. "Are you implying Nora Valkyrie's Ursa rugs are not the genuine article!? How dare you, sir!" She pointed a finger up to his nose. It looked ridiculous, considering just how high Nora had to point her arm up to reach his face.

Jaune looked to Naruto for help. Naruto smiled, flashed a thumbs up, and mouthed 'I'll find us all a spot'. Jaune looked upset at the abandonment before finding a clever retort for Nora.

"Well- how dare _you_! Accusing me of accusing you!"

She withdrew her finger in a flash. Nora's eyes widened as she spoke loudly.

"Ren! Ren, he's right! I must be a horrible person! Accusing random strangers at random!" The girl put her hands her head as she shook it back and forth and continued about how terrible a person she was.

Naruto's attention was half on Jaune as he struggled with a way to calm to the girl down. The other half of it was on who he thought might be 'Ren'. As Naruto was starting to walk away, he saw a boy in green clothes and a stripe of pink in his air walk up to Jaune and Nora's increasingly loud conversation. As a result, the fox faunus' attention was on two different places.

Neither of which was where he was going.

His inattention nearly caused him to run straight into a redhead in bronze armor who'd been walking up in front of him. Their eyes met as he gave a shout and they tried to dodge the other. Fortunately both were quick on their feet; the girl gracefully turned and slid backwards to avoid hitting him while Naruto sidestepped in the other direction.

Once they stopped moving they stared at each other for a moment.

"I'm sorry." She smiled and waved as they faced another properly.

Naruto chuckled back at her as he scratched his neck in embarrassment. He almost looked away but forced himself to keep eye contact. That hair. Long hair. Red hair. Long red hair. Both of his weaknesses. On one person. Crap.

"No, I think that was my fault. I'm Naruto. Naruto Uzumaki." He offered his hand.

She blinked in surprise and then smiled more widely. "Pyrrha Nikos. Pleased to meet you."

As they shook hands, both heard a soft click an instant before a bright flash blinded them.

"What the-!"

They blinked rapidly to clear their vision only to see a brunette with rabbit ears lowering a camera. She was mumbling to herself as looked at the picture. "That's a good one. That'll work." Then she promptly turned around and walked away, her head still buried in her camera.

Naruto and Pyrrha both stared at the girl's retreating back. Naruto slowly shook his head. "That was kind of weird."

Pyrrha grinned but it was much more weary than it had been just seconds before. "I suppose so. I've largely gotten used to things like that. You can't really stop people from taking pictures when you're out in public."

Naruto gave her a look. "People just… come up and take your picture?"

The redhead looked at him oddly. "Well, yes. I won the Mistral Regional Tournament four times. In a row. I beat several much older and more experienced Hunters to do it. I got… a little famous for that. Have you really not heard about it? It's all anyone seems to tell me these days." She smiled and shrugged but Naruto could tell she didn't seem very happy with it.

He wasn't sure why, though. To have plenty of friends and admirers was something he'd often wanted. It was something he _still_ wanted.

"Never even heard of you." Naruto cheerfully confirmed. "But that's really awesome. We don't have a CCT tower in Konoha yet, so news is pretty slow in getting there. I've been in tournaments too but I've never gotten famous for it. Wouldn't mind, though." The faunus grinned widely at her.

Pyrrha held a hand up to her mouth as laughed softly. "Of course. But you're from Konoha? I didn't think they sent students here."

"They normally don't. I'm the first. Part of some big agreement. I think Konoha is getting some students and teachers from the Academies to start setting up their own Hunter program."

They walked passed a giant of a teen in green armor with a massive sword draped across his back when they came into sight of Ruby and the blonde girl. More importantly there was also the white-haired girl Naruto had seen earlier, walking up behind Ruby.

"You!"

"Oh my God it's happening again!"

Naruto and Pyrrha stared blankly as they watched the argument between Ruby and the girl in the white dress. It was kind of like a train wreck. It was horrible, it was brutal, it was utterly one-sided and they absolutely could not stop watching it.

Pyrrha kept taking half a step forward whenever white-dress-girl said something mean to Ruby only for her to step back again. She didn't like what the girl was saying, but also didn't know if it was her place to interfere. Naruto was pretty sure Ruby had called the girl Weiss. He wondered why that name sounded so familiar.

"-and we can talk about cute boys like tall, blonde and scruffy over there." Weiss threw a thumb over her shoulder to point at Naruto.

"Oh, really?" Ruby asked excitedly.

"… _No_."

When it looked like Weiss about to continue Naruto had finally decided he'd heard enough. He quickly walked up behind her and set a hand on Weiss's shoulder. "Alright, she apologized and you don't care. I think you've made your point."

Weiss quickly shrugged off his hand and spun around. "And just who do you think _you_ are?"

Then he saw her face. He'd seen it often enough. Weiss Schnee. The well-known heiress of the Schnee Dust Company. But that wasn't where Naruto recognized her from.

He recognized it from the cover of the album that was, at this very moment, downloaded onto his scroll.

Naruto narrowed his eyes at the white-haired girl. It was ridiculous to feel upset over something like this but he was. He was angry that she wasn't anything like what he thought she would be. Weiss Schnee had been his very first 'celebrity crush'. He liked her music, he liked her long hair, and in every interview he'd seen she'd been calm, polite, graceful, and funny. She'd been everything he wasn't and he had admired that. He had admired _her_.

And now he'd met her. It had been a long time since he'd felt disappointment like this. Not since Jiraiya of the Legendary Three had been revealed to be a total and unrepentant super pervert.

"Taller than you, for starters."

Pyrrha looked at him, startled at the brusqueness in voice. Ruby winced at Naruto's behavior. Chances of friendship with Weiss were dropping rapidly. The blonde girl at Ruby's side snorted and then laughed out loud. "Nice."

Weiss was not nearly as amused. "How _dare_ -"

A sudden sound from the speakers stopped everyone. There was a screech from audio feedback until professor Goodwitch made one final adjustment to the microphone and stepped away. Headmaster Ozpin stepped forward with his cane and cup of coffee in hand. He glanced over the silent students once before speaking.

"I'll… keep this brief. You have travelled here today in search of knowledge. To hone your craft and acquire new skills. And when you have finished… you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people.

"But I look amongst you and all I see is wasted energy. In need of purpose. Direction. You assume knowledge will free you of this. But your time at this school will prove that knowledge can only carry you so far. It is up to you to take the first step."

With his small speech over Ozpin stepped back and walked off the stage. Whispers broke out at the headmaster's short words.

Naruto leaned over to Pyrrha and spoke quietly. "Not very inspiring."

Pyrrha didn't comment but she seemed to agree.

Goodwitch spoke into the microphone next. "You will gather in the ballroom tonight. Tomorrow your initiation begins." She spared several seconds to sweep her gaze across the amphitheater and locked eyes with as many students as she could. She wanted to impress on them the importance of this event.

"Be ready. You are dismissed."

* * *

Most of the group -everyone except Weiss - had decided to stick together. They'd all been led to the armory and stored their gear into the rocket lockers they would be using for their time at Beacon. From there they had been brought to the ballroom. As the group of them walked into one of the room's corners for a sleeping spot Ruby noticed the black-haired girl who had, partially, come to her aid during the Weiss Incident in the courtyard. At the urging of her sister Yang, the two of them went over to introduce themselves and say thank you. It left the rest of them to find a spot to set their sleeping bags.

Naruto found a very large open space next to the same giant kid he'd seen in the amphitheater. Only this time he was accompanied by a tall girl wearing _very_ expensive pajamas lounging in an equally ornate sleeping bag. Her hair was cut short except for a single wavy lock that was dyed. It started out the same dark brown as her hair before brightening into a smooth orange.

Her appearance was crowned by wearing a pair of sunglasses and a beret. At night. Indoors.

"These spots taken?" Naruto asked.

The girl was the one who answered. "Feel free. The big guy is Yatsuhashi. My name's Coco. In case any of you need to know who's name to shout."

There was shocked silence for several seconds. Everyone except Nora stared at the girl. Nora just smiled.

"…excuse you?" Jaune managed to sound out.

"Oh, I'm good." She looked the group up and down. "I'm _real_ good." Coco stretched her arms above her head. It made her shirt ride up and revealed some of her slim abdomen. Judging from the smirk on her face, Naruto was pretty sure she was doing it on purpose.

Jaune's mouth worked silently before he gave up on how to respond, unrolled his sleeping bag and went off to get into his pajamas.

"I'm Naruto." The fox faunus offered. The group introduced itself one by one, with each person waving or greeting as they gave their name.

As Naruto rolled out her sleeping bag, Pyrrha was looking at her scroll silently. She seemed very intent on reading whatever was on the screen.

Slowly everyone set up their sleeping bags, changed, and got in to rest or relax until they fell asleep.

The group was definitely not alone in the ballroom. It was filled to the brim with teenagers. Young, brash teenagers who wanted to impress and most of whom were in somewhat revealing sleepwear. While some tried to get to bed early and rest for the initiation tomorrow, far more people were up and about. They were talking and playing, chatting up pretty -or handsome- individuals or simply lounging and… _enjoying the view_.

Naruto was one of the latter. On one hand, Naruto still blamed Jiraiya for forcing him to proofread those smutty and steamy romance books and everything they entailed. On the other hand, if the old pervert hadn't done so Naruto wouldn't have the knowledge to truly appreciate just what was around him.

If there was one thing being around a world-class pervert had done, it was broaden his view of the world. Naruto could admire and appreciate both the male and female form. While he preferred the latter, he knew a good looking man when he saw them.

Objectively speaking, most of the boys in attendance were handsome. Muscular, lithe, and tall, they were any girl's -and plenty of boy's- fantasy.

But his attention was mostly on the girls. From Ruby wearing her adorable polka dot pajama pants to Yang's short shorts and tank top to Weiss's nightgown. Pyrrha was wearing a plain white t-shirt with the word _Shine_ across it. She was also wearing red short shorts that showed off... just how tall she was.

As Jiraiya would say, 'eye candy for everyone.'

"Naruto?" Pyrrha got his attention. He'd been watching Ruby and Yang walk over to a girl reading all by herself. It was a little strange, since she was close by but still seemed 'separate' from everyone else in the hall.

"Hmm?"

"You said you wanted to be famous, right?"

"…yes?"

She smiled anxiously as she leaned over and gave him her scroll. Naruto looked at her for a long moment in confusion before he lowered his gaze to the screen.

He froze as he registered what was on the scroll.

"What-what is this? A website?" He asked Pyrrha.

She looked surprised for a moment before nodding in realization. "Oh, I supposed you wouldn't know. It's the NoticeBoard. It's a net-forum that fans of Huntsmen and Huntresses go to for news and, well, gossip." She smiled sheepishly. "I go there sometimes just to see what people are talking about. I saw an article about you and thought you should know."

"Thank you... good to know..." He answered. He went to read the screen in front of him.

 _Konoha Sends First Student to Beacon._

 _Naruto Uzumaki: Who Is He?_

The article itself was fairly standard. It included a few photographs of himself, his age, description, and a thankfully very brief overview of his past. It touched on his apprenticeship under 'the famous Jiraiya', his improved later grades and _not_ his abysmal beginning ones, along with some of his placements in the tournaments he'd been involved in.

It wrapped up with a nice piece on the nearing completion of the CCTS Tower in Konoha and how it was a good beginning for closer diplomatic ties.

All in all a very pleasant article that made him look good.

What was much worse were the comments in the forum thread itself.

'Sending a faunus? Can you GET anymore political? They may as well have said "We're buying good will".'

'That's one dog I'd like to put a collar on, if you know what I mean.'

'OMG. He's a fox faunus not a dog. You can't even get that right? Even if I 'know what you mean' what you said is super racist. Plus saying you like him for nothing but his looks is degrading. You're the equal opposite of faunus haters. You don't actually sympathize…'

'I've got a few videos of his fights in the Konoha semiannual tournaments. Posted here on iTube.'

'Can we just agree we don't actually know anything? Because we don't. News out of there is super slow. Come on, guys.'

'No. This is the internet. We're contractually obligated to make stupid and baseless assumptions then get upset when we're proven wrong.'

The words of Sarutobi came rushing back to him.

 _"The_ e _yes of the Four Kingdoms and Five Nations will be upon you."_

Naruto had a single thing to say.

"Crap."

"I'm... sorry?" Pyrrha smiled at him in sympathy, but there was definitely amusement in her eyes.

As he was about to hand the scroll back to her, something else caught his eye on the screen. Near the top of the page, he saw the title of the sub-forum. _New Hunters: Beacon's Next Batch._

Naruto tapped on the link and stared blankly at all the thread titles. There was his thread, _Naruto Uzumaki: A Fox Hunting._ And just who came up with that title?

 _Ruby Rose: Little Miss Reaper  
_

 _Yang Xiao Long: Fists of Fury_

 _Cardin Winchester: The Tradition Continues_

 _Weiss Schnee: Has Winter Come Again?_

Following them were a dozen other names he'd never heard of before. There was a section for almost everyone whose name was even _somewhat_ well known.

Pyrrha's _The Invincible Girl_ thread had the most number of comments and views. By a _lot_.

"You have a fan club." Naruto deadpanned.

Pyrrha chuckled politely even as she looked a little uncomfortable. "Yes. Like I said... I got kind of famous for winning the Tournament. It's very flattering. I've been told it's one of the biggest."

Naruto stared at her blankly before going back to staring at the screen. It looked like there were a lot of fan clubs for everyone.

Sure, Sasuke had a fan club... but he was _Sasuke_. The handsome, tragic, prodigal heir of an old, well respected, powerful clan. Sasuke was _special_. But this...

In a light daze, Naruto handed Pyrrha back her scroll. It really did look like Hunter's were publicized a lot more than ninjas were. This was new. And weird. Maybe a little intimidating.

OK it was very intimidating. The CCT towers really did let everyone on the planet talk to each other, which meant news and rumors and clubs didn't end once you hit the edge of the city you were in.

Ninjas just did their jobs. Sure, there were plenty of famous shinobi but they were famous for big reasons. He hadn't really done anything yet. But Hunters... Hunters really were famous in the rest of the world. They were icons, just as he'd been told. Protectors of world peace.

He _really_ needed to think this over.

Nora, Ren and Jaune were in the sleeping bags next to Yatsuhashi and Coco. Nora was playing what looked to be one of the videos about Naruto. From the sound of electrical discharge and heavy crashes, Naruto immediately knew which fight it was. Last year's match. He and Sasuke had met in the Quarterfinals. Things had gone a _little_ out of control in that fight. Just a little.

It had also marked the end of what little friendship the two once had. Though officially he and Sasuke were both punished for taking things too far, not much had changed in the public or school's view of him. It was, sadly, the way of things. Rumors and bigots, and his own sore feelings over the fight had heavily dampened whatever respect his showing might have gotten. At least his reputation had gotten somewhat better. Instead of simply being 'the knucklehead', he was now 'the strong knucklehead'. It was better than nothing.

While Ren found the techniques and weapons interesting and Jaune watched with growing trepidation, it was Nora who was the most excited.

"Ren! Ren look! That guy is shooting _fire_. Ooooohhhh. Lightning! Now he's got lightning coming out of his hands! Lightning. On his _hands_."

She looked directly at Ren and smiled widely. It was a not a smile Ren wanted to see.

"Nora, no."

"Nora, _yes_." Her smile got bigger.

Naruto turned over and groaned into his pillow. He'd wanted to be famous and popular for so long... and within the first five minutes he was starting to regret it.

Coco looked over at him for a moment before she reached across Pyrrha. She patted Naruto on his butt softly. "There, there. It'll be alright."

* * *

AN:

Firstly, pairings. I have ideas, nothing is concrete, I'll see what happens. I hope even if you disagree with which (if any) romance options I wind up going with, the story is good enough that you stick around.

Secondly, yes, I made CFVY one year younger. It will let me do what I have planned and I don't think it's been done before.


	3. The First Step

Chapter 3

The First Step

For the first time in a long time, Jaune Arc was having a good morning.

There was no one looking at him as if he didn't belong. There was no one shouting to hurry up and nobody giving him pitying or resigned looks. The people he was with were friendly. There was banter and a nearly playful mood that really did help quell the uneasy feeling about going into combat against the Grimm without Aura.

Well there _was_ Weiss but then she seemed to just be that kind of person.

They had woken up after a good night's rest, and although no one knew how Coco had found her way into Yang's sleeping bag -"Coco!" "Sleeping..." - the blonde had been mostly good humored about it.

The group of future Hunters had gotten up, eaten a healthy serving of pancakes -multiple healthy servings in the case of a few-, stowed their sleeping bags, and made their way to the armory.

Even the fear of him facing Initiation had ebbed somewhat. He was with people who knew what they were doing. Once classes started he could catch up. He would have the _opportunity_ to catch up instead of being left behind. Again.

He just had to get through today.

Which was… admittedly… easier said than done.

But he had hope. He could manage. He _would_ manage. It didn't feel right clinging to those more capable than himself but if he could get past today… then he promised he would be the best teammate they could hope for. Classes would start. He'd get the training he needed and the help that wasn't offered at Siren. He would have a chance to live up to his name and his dream.

Everyone here knew what they were doing. He wouldn't drag them down. He wouldn't let himself drag them down.

Ruby had been admitted two years ahead of time. Yang had graduated near the top of her class at Signal. Naruto had been trained by a world famous ninja. Ren lived with Nora, which already made him impressive, and he appeared to be truly unflappable. Pyrrha seemed oddly familiar but he couldn't quite place why. Ruby had practically _gushed_ over the older girl's presence the night before. Coco was more concerned about her boots than the future test which said volumes about her confidence in herself. Yatsuhashi was a giant with a sword as long as Jaune was tall. Nora was… Nora.

"We should all have a plan. I know bribing the Headmaster won't work but I think if we all have some kind of distress call -oh, a _secret signal_ \- we'll be able to find each other in the forest. Who knows how to imitate a sloth?"

Part of Jaune envied Nora's desire to go headfirst into this. Another part of him was frightened of what she might be capable of in a fight.

"Nora."

The girl looked at Ren.

"I don't think sloths make a lot of noise." Ren said. Jaune liked to think he and Ren got along. It was a little too soon to tell though. He also really appreciated that Ren knew how to properly direct the girl.

Nora looked to the side in thought for a single moment. Then she brightened up even more.

"That's why it's _perfect_! No one will suspect we're all working together!"

Ruby smiled shyly. The both of them were pretty awkward while in large groups of people, but she seemed to be doing fine. "I think that would be great. If we can all partner up somehow, I mean. Does anyone know what the Initiation _is_? Or how we get sorted into teams?" Ruby's nervousness visibly rose as she mentioned teams.

"Probably fighting Grimm under the professor's supervision." The group looked up at the deep, measured voice of Yatsuhashi. "Maybe a mock mission of some kind. We'll do fine." The tall teenager smiled.

Ruby nodded. Jaune agreed that it made sense, but the idea of having to show off their skills in front of the professors wasn't nearly as reassuring as it should have been.

If they noticed…

Yang waved at the group as she pulled Ruby away. "Me and Ruby have our gear over here. Let's regroup after we get all of our stuff. Unless you guys need help with anything?"

"I think we'll manage, sunshine." Jaune tried to smooth talk as he stretched his arms out. If Jaune had been more introspective, he could admit the tough guy act was actually helping with his own anxiety. It took his mind off of fighting and the risks that came with it.

His thoughts were more focused on the moment. _'Be confident. All a woman looks for is confidence. They can smell insecurity from a mile away.'_ His father's words echoed in his head.

Yang smothered a mocking laugh into her fist. She couldn't stop the sarcastic smile and retort. "Yeah. _Sure_ you will, vomit-boy."

There were times he wondered about his father's advice. Then he would be reminded that the man couldn't be _too_ wrong. He did marry his mother and have eight children after all.

He sighed and pulled a slip of paper out. No point in dwelling on it.

Jaune looked down at the print out. He'd shoved it into a pocket after stowing his gear the day before and hadn't looked at it since.

636\. Wait. He… he hadn't gone to a locker that high yesterday. Had he? There was no way. He hadn't split off from the group _too_ far when he put Crocea Mors away. He knew that.

He looked at the nearest locker.

281.

What.

"Jaune? Is something wrong?" Ren asked as he ran a cloth along the edge of a bladed pistol. Next to him Nora was verbally debating herself about the benefits of lower yield, longer range grenades versus her heavier but short range ones.

Jaune pointed at the sheet in his hand. "I don't think I went to this locker yesterday. I would remember having to count that high." He chuckled weakly. "Oh, why is this happening today?"

"We'll help you find it! Won't we, Ren?"

Nora really was a nice, quirky girl. An overenthusiastic, slightly manic, potentially destructive, nice, quirky girl. But still nice and quirky.

"Thank you, storm angel."

Nora giggled with delight –at least _someone_ appreciated his charm- at the name as they walked past Weiss.

The whitehaired girl had stopped heading towards her own locker as she heard them. She was staring at them incredulously. "St- _storm angel_? What kind of name is-? Just… _what_?"

"You probably shouldn't give her ideas, Jaune." Said Ren as he stored StormFlower into his sleeves. He was still smiling so Jaune figured he wasn't actually upset.

"He shouldn't say things like that at all. This is a school for Hunters and Huntresses not some couples convention." Weiss huffed as she started past them to her own locker.

She was stopped again as Naruto strolled in front of her. His ears were both pointed forward, directing all his attention on the heiress in front of him.

"Oh look, it's _Weiss_. Picking out someone new to annoy and bully? Ruby not enough for you, short stack?" Naruto said as he walked by.

Weiss spun on her heels towards the faunus.

"It is not my fault if I am surrounded by a bunch of imbeciles and dolts!"

Naruto did not particularly like Weiss. Jaune wasn't entirely sure why. She seemed curt and standoffish, but that wasn't anything new to him. She didn't _seem_ particularly mean. Just fiercely reserved with high expectations of everyone. Jaune was very, _very_ familiar with those types of people.

Yet Naruto seemed to have a grudge. It was odd because the fellow blonde seemed almost _overly_ friendly to just about everyone else.

"I'd rather be a dolt than a..." Naruto mumbled something under his breath as he turned away from Weiss. Jaune wasn't even sure it was an actual word. He might have just made some random noises.

" _What_ did you just call me?" Weiss demanded.

Naruto turned back around. "I didn't say anything." He smiled mockingly.

"Yes. You _did_."

"I have no idea what you're talking about. I think Jaune might know, though." Naruto quickly disappeared around the corner of the locker row.

Weiss turned around and faced the other blonde. Jaune smiled charmingly and put on his groove. If it worked once...

"Good morning, snow angel. There's been a lot of talk about teams. I think you and me would make a good one."

Nora giggled again from behind him. Ren let out a soft sigh.

Weiss stared at him. Her lips curled upward. Her shoulders tensed. She shook her head and raised her hands in front of her in a stopping gesture.

" _No_."

Weiss quickly walked around Jaune and towards her own locker.

Jaune gave a shrug as Nora patted him on back. "I tried."

Ren shook his head and pulled the other two along with him. Their first stop should probably _be_ locker 636, in case that was where Jaune had stored his weapons, or to one of the terminals to look at the logs and registry.

The three of them headed off in search of Jaune's misplaced rocket locker. They only had so much time before the Initiation began and they couldn't afford to miss it.

* * *

From her spot in front of her open locker Weiss inspected Myrtenaster. The cartridges were in place and the Dust exhaust port was functioning properly. The blade was polished clean and razor sharp. The hammer and trigger for the ignition moved smoothly.

Weiss went through the motions as easily as if she had done them a hundred times before. Because she had.

And through it all she was silently fuming. She slammed the door shut on her storage locker- only to see Pyrrha Nikos blinking at her owlishly, the redhead readjusting the bracer on her left arm.

Weiss recovered in moments.

"Pyrrha! It is a pleasure to see you again."

"Likewise, Weiss. It's been a while."

They had first met the year before. Weiss had been there when Pyrrha had won her third consecutive win. Though the Schnee family might have pulled some strings to have the heiress meet her after the final match, Pyrrha didn't hold it against her. Weiss really had been genuine in how impressed she was over the match. Weiss really hadn't been what Pyrrha was expecting during that first meeting. The girl knew her combat and had expressed her desire to be a Huntress. Considering everyone 'knew' she was the heiress of the Schnee Dust Company, it had been a major surprise to Pyrrha. Though they hadn't seen each other in person since, they had tried to keep in touch with emails.

"Have you given any thought to whose team you would like to be on? I'm sure _everyone_ must be eager to work with such a strong, well-known individual such as yourself." Weiss might have been laying the flattery on a little thick but if there was _anyone_ in the current crop of students that she wanted to be paired with, Pyrrha was it.

Pyrrha glanced to the side, considering. "Hmm. I'm not quite sure. I was planning on letting the chips fall where they may."

"Well, I was thinking maybe… _we_ could be on a team together." Weiss went for it. She supposed she could settle for someone else. But she would really rather not.

"Well that sounds grand. We were actually discussing possible teams and the Initiation test as we were walking in." Pyrrha gestured at the nearby Coco, who was looking in her locker's mirror and adjusting her beret, and at Ruby and Yang further down, the former proudly pronouncing 'I drink milk'.

Weiss's smile became a little more forced. "Yes. Them. I had noticed you spent the evening with them. Do you really think they are… _capable_ of performing on your level? You don't want to be pulled down due to someone else's shortcomings."

Pyrrha looked down momentarily and nodded slowly. "There is some truth to that. But I also believe everyone who's here has earned the right. They are all skilled and I've found them fun to be around."

"Yes, well. Looks can be deceiving." Weiss demurred.

Pyrrha looked at Weiss with a soft smile.

"I heard about how you got off to a bad start with Ruby, but we spent a good part of last night talking. She was actually admitted by the headmaster himself two years ahead of schedule after he witnessed her skill."

Weiss stared at her in disbelief.

"Ruby? The- the girl in red? That Ruby?"

"That's right. According to Yang she's the personal protégé of Instructor Qrow at Signal Academy."

"…really." The idea that the girl who nearly blew them both up with Dust was _anyone's_ pupil was laughable. Ozpin himself had admitted her? It was a joke. Technically Ozpin admitted everyone who went to Beacon. He was the headmaster. It was exaggeration at its worst.

Weiss focused. "Well, regardless. I think we would make a good team together."

"Hey there, snow angel. Hot stuff." Jaune made his reappearance. Now he was wearing his armor and had Crocea Mors at his waist.

Pyrrha shook her head in amusement and smiled. It was… nice. Mostly. It was new and more than a little strange being called something like that. But it was flattering, if a little crude.

Weiss did not share that opinion. "You again?"

"We found his locker. There was a mistake on the sheet. The number was 363, not 636." Ren explained to Pyrrha. As he finished speaking his eyes trailed over Weiss's Myrtenaster. He nodded approvingly.

"So I overheard that you're interested in joining up with us to be on a team. I was thinking you and me would make a good one. Maybe we could include hot stuff and we'd be set. What do you say?" Jaune tried to smile winningly.

Before Weiss could answer Nora threw herself into the conversation.

"Or _we_ could be teammates. We could be- oh!- we could be Team Snowstorm! Do you know how imitate a sloth? Team requirement. Super important." Nora leveled a finger at Weiss.

Weiss made a small choking noise as her eye twitched. Then she cleared her throat and put on a practiced smile. She ignored Nora's question. It was the more inane of the two.

"Jaune? Was it? Do you even know who 'hot stuff' _is_?" She walked around Jaune and gestured at Pyrrha.

Pyrrha simply smiled and waved. "Hello, again."

"She does look familiar. Otherwise? Not in the slightest, snow angel." He did feel like he'd seen her before but Jaune could not place where.

"This is Pyrrha Nikos. She graduated top of her class at Sanctum."

Jaune blinked. Ren gave Pyrrha a thumbs up. Nora clapped politely. Pyrrha smiled, unsure of what else to do.

Weiss frowned. "She won the Mistral Regional Tournament fours year in a row. A _new record_."

"Uh huh. Congratulations." Jaune still wasn't reacting the way he should to someone like Pyrrha.

Weiss had had enough. She waved her arms around. "She is on the front of every single Pumpkin Pete's Marshmallow Flakes box!"

That of all things got a reaction. Jaune's memory clicked into place.

"Wait, that _is_ you! I was wondering where I'd seen you before." Jaune exclaimed.

"That's me." Pyrrha confirmed. She smiled embarrassedly. "Being picked for the box-front was pretty cool. Sadly the cereal isn't very good for you." She shook her head, wondering why they hadn't picked her for one of the healthier brands.

"What's happening with cereal and who is Pumpkin Pete?" Naruto asked as he walked up. He was adjusting his own gear and equipment. The red and black jacket was gone, replaced with a simple short sleeved orange shirt and black pants. On his arms and legs were what Jaune assumed were his weapons compact forms.

Everyone stared at Naruto.

"Do you actually live under a rock or something?" Weiss was the first to comment.

Naruto grit his teeth. Weiss had a look on her face. _That_ look. It was one he'd seen far too many times. It was 'you can't really be this stupid _oh wait you can_.'

"I'm from Konoha. Assume I don't know certain things. Who the hell is Pumpkin Pete, ice witch?"

As Weiss glared and looked about ready to start spitting nails, Pyrrha jumped in and helpfully explained.

"Pumpkin Pete is the main mascot of a major breakfast company. They usually have a cartoon character on their cereal boxes but they'll also make contracts with Hunters who are in the spotlight. They offered me to be on the box-front after I broke the old Mistral record."

"You're… on a cereal box?" Naruto gestured vaguely as he stared at her with wide eyes.

"That's right." She nodded happily.

"You."

"Me."

There was a moment of silence.

"Oh my god you really are famous." Naruto. Sometimes a little slow on the uptake.

Pyrrha shrugged and smiled. "Well, somewhat. 'All Hunters stand in the spotlight' or so they say."

"You are the strongest, most respected girl in our year. Bar none. You shouldn't undermine your accomplishments just to make some people feel better." Weiss made a vague motion that may have been towards Jaune, Naruto and Nora. She looked to Jaune in particular. "Now that you know all of that, do you really think that _you_ are in a position to ask _her_ to be on a team?"

Jaune slumped. When put like that… yes. His accomplishments were just a _little_ lacking.

"I guess not. Sorry." He told Pyrrha.

"Hey wait, are you picking on Jaune now?" Naruto glared accusingly at Weiss. "What is _with_ you? Jaune's a good guy. Ruby's a nice girl. What do you have against them?"

"Yeah!" Nora quickly backed him up.

Ren… Ren was sighing deeply in exasperation.

"I am not- argh!" Weiss wasn't sure how to say 'I'm not picking on him, he's just an idiot' without it coming across as… well. Picking on him.

The whitehaired girl took a deep, calming breath. "I am not picking on anyone. All I want is for the people attending one of the most prestigious academies _in the world_ to act as if they _deserve_ to be here. I want them to understand," She glared at Naruto as she pointed at Jaune. "That going to this school is an honor and that some people take that honor more seriously than others."

Any further argument was cut off as an announcement came across the PA speakers. It was Goodwitch's voice.

 _"Would all first-year students please report to Beacon Cliff for Initiation? Again, all first-year students report to Beacon Cliff immediately."_

Weiss quickly walked off towards the exit before anyone could come up with a retort.

Jaune was deeply subdued. Even the attempts by Nora and Naruto didn't do much to cheer him up. Both of them seemed to be considering what Weiss had said as well. They were each wearing contemplative looks.

Pyrrha put a hand on Jaune's shoulder as she moved by. "For what it's worth, I think you'd make a great leader."

Jaune tried to smile but he wasn't sure if he managed it.

The group made its way towards the armory's entrance. Slowly the scattered members caught up with them. As Ruby, Yang, Coco and Yatsuhashi arrived they were given a quick rundown of the encounter with Weiss. The reactions were mixed.

Yatsuhashi admitted that Weiss had a point. They were Hunters-in-training and they _did_ need to take things seriously.

Coco simply shrugged and said that as long as they succeeded, their behavior was a secondary concern.

Yang helpfully declared that calling Weiss 'snow angel' had probably kick-started the entire thing.

Ruby simply patted him on the back. "Come on, Jaune."

* * *

The many first-year students of Beacon gathered along the cliff's edge. Before them the Emerald Forest stretched out for miles. In the distance, mountains on all sides of the forest acted as a natural barrier to keep the Grimm contained. Several meters away from the edge of the cliff was a long row of slightly raised metal platforms. Each of them had the school's crest on it.

Ozpin and Goodwitch were waiting for them all. They were standing right near the edge of the cliff with their backs to the forest. Ozpin was quietly sipping his cup of coffee as his fellow teacher tapped a few icons on her tablet.

As the last of the students arrived, Glynda lowered her tablet and looked at the assembled group.

"I would like each of you stand upon a platform. One person per platform and before you ask, no, this will not determine your teammates." Goodwitch took the lead before stepping aside for the Headmaster.

The students quickly spread themselves out. To Jaune's surprise, their little group managed to get the platforms almost directly in front of the Headmaster. Of course it might have been because no one _wanted_ the spots directly in front of the two teachers.

"For years you have trained to become warriors. Today your abilities will be evaluated in the Emerald Forest." Ozpin started.

Goodwitch lowered her tablet once more. "Now, I'm sure many of you have heard rumors about the assignment of teams. Well, allow us to put an end to your confusion. Each of you will be given teammates. _Today_."

"What! Noooo." Ruby whined.

A lot of the other students present traded glances with the ones next to them.

Ozpin took over the speech once again.

"These teammates will be with you for the rest of your time here at Beacon. So it is in your best interest to be paired with someone with whom you can work well."

Suddenly Ozpin seemed to perk up. He didn't smile or change his stance, but Jaune somehow knew that the headmaster was enjoying this far more than he should.

"That being said, the first person you make eye contact with after landing will be your partner for the next four years."

 _'…then how are you supposed to pick someone you would get along with!?'_

Jaune noticed more than a few students panicking alongside him. Down the line Naruto was grimacing and Yang had raised a fine eyebrow. Nora was loudly complaining how useful the sloth signal _would_ have been but, "Nope! Nobody wanted it! I told you all, jeez!"

Ruby was the probably the loudest. _"What!?"_ She almost screamed.

Ozpin didn't make any movement that he even noticed the frantic students. The jerk.

"After you've partnered up, make your way to the northern end of the forest. You will meet opposition along the way. Do not hesitate to destroy everything in your path… or you _will_ die."

Jaune's good morning, though it had taken some hits, came to a sudden bloody end. He gave a strangled chuckle and gulped nervously.

"You will be monitored and graded for the duration of your Initiation. But our instructors will not intervene. You will find an abandoned temple at the end of the path containing several relics. Each pair must choose one and return to the top of the cliff. You will guard that item, as well as your standing, and grade you appropriately.

"Are there any questions?"

"Uh, yeah, sir?" Jaune tentatively raised his hand.

" _Good_! Now, take your positions." Ozpin continued as if he hadn't heard anything.

 _'Please don't ignore me.'_

Many of the gathered students drew their weapons or let them unfold from more compact forms. Some loaded ammunition while others made final checks to their Dust containers.

Jaune swiftly pulled out his sword but hadn't given up on asking Ozpin his question.

"Sir… I- I've got, um, a question."

Ozpin lowered his coffee mug and looked at Jaune.

"So this landing… strategy thing, what _is_ it? You're like, dropping us off or something?"

"No." Ozpin answered deadpan. He took another sip and savored the aroma from his mug. "You will be falling."

The platforms they were all on _shifted_. The metal plates raised and reoriented themselves. Each seemed to point in a random direction as the back part of the plates rose to different heights. His was pointed to the left with a shallow angle. Ruby's to the right with a steep one. Yang's pointed straight ahead.

"Oh. I see." He actually did. He really, _really_ wished he didn't. "Like, did you hand out parachutes for us?"

There was an audible whirring noise coming from the platforms now.

This was not actually about to happen was it?

"No."

Oh god it was.

"You will be using your own landing strategy."

The platforms turned on.

One by one in a seemingly random order each platform pushed upwards rapidly. Students to the left and right of him started sailing through the air and arcing towards the forest. Yang whooped as she launched. Ruby gave him a sly grin a second before her platform sent her soaring with a swirl of rose petals. Coco, to his right, actually huffed about how it was going to ruin her hair. Then she was launched as well.

Jaune suddenly realized he was the last person on the cliff. He stared blankly at Professor Ozpin.

Ozpin smiled back and nodded.

Jaune's platform activated.

He _may_ have screamed like a little girl.

* * *

AN:

I'm already working on the next chapter. I actually wanted to include these scenes in a much larger one when I realized that this is actually pretty self-contained and fit perfectly in line with the show.

There are a few differences, obviously. Jaune did go to a combat school but he failed. He knows what Aura is but he still can't use it.

That segment in the show (Pyrrha explaining Aura) was good exposition for the viewers. It also left many plotholes about how omnipresent Dust, Aura, and Hunters are and how it is impossible to not know about it.

It's kind of like the scene to Wave country in Naruto where he doesn't know what chakra is. It shows the audience something, but there is no way the character should not know. It's cultural. It's like going through school and not knowing what math is. Not 'knowing math' but 'knowing what math is'.

Still, next chapter will have Naruto's weapon in use and the teams start to come together.

Please read and review. I hope you all enjoy this.


	4. The Emerald Forest

AN:

 **Apparently this was deleted as I was editing it. The final version will be posted soon. Ignore this update. Ch 5 is almost complete as is something new. Not sure what is happening with the story alerts at the moment or how I deleted this on accident.**

Chapter 4

The Emerald Forest

As Naruto fell through the air, idly adjusting his arm protectors and ninja shoes, he let his thoughts drift.

Against his will, they kept returning to what the Hokage had said.

He wasn't going to be a ninja. That thought still pained him in a way he couldn't really put into words. His entire life he'd trained and fought for two things. The first was recognition. To be seen and acknowledged as more than 'just another faunus'. The second was to become a ninja, a defender of Konoha and its people. Jiraiya had once pointed out that the second reason was just an extension of the first, but Naruto didn't really buy it.

There had to be a way around this. A way to join the Ninja Corp and work for Konoha. He just wasn't sure _how_ without going backwards and doing the entire curriculum with people years younger.

That wasn't even taking into account how attached he might get to his teammates. Would he want to be a ninja by the time he graduated? Would he choose to stay with Ruby and Jaune and Pyrrha or leave his new friends to accomplish his dream of being Hokage? Would they support it?

There were just too many possibilities, too many things to consider.

He sighed as the wind rushed through his hair and across his face. It was almost nice, falling like this. Just the wind and gravity. Without any problems or doubts or worries about what he wanted in life or what he didn't have.

It came to an end far too soon.

He let himself free fall through the upper canopy. His passage snapped smaller branches clean off; the wood was no match for his Aura shielded descent.

Naruto contemplated falling all the way to the forest floor and simply tanking the impact when he saw Grimm up ahead. Not too many. There were maybe ten Ursai.

He grinned widely.

The group of Grimm was far enough away that he wouldn't be able to reach them without assistance. He shifted his position and activated the greaves that were attached to his ninja sandals. Like the box in his hands, there were Air Dust emitter vents on either side of the plated greaves protecting his lower legs and his feet.

With the sudden change to his speed and trajectory, Naruto was going to land right in the midst of the Ursa.

He reached back to pull Autumn Spiral out its harness. There were several clicks as the locks between the storage form and the harness undid. He held the large box in one hand with the other held out next to it but not touching.

In its storage form, Autumn Spiral looked like a slightly misshapen, dull orange, metal rectangular box.

Each side of the box was made of smaller panels, separated at specific intervals with tiny gaps between them. The sides were all flat but its edges were smooth and curved. There was a small depression running lengthwise around the entirety of the box's center. It had a row of vents running along both sides of the box. On the 'front' and 'back' faces of the block there was a pair of circular openings right next to each other near the bottom.

With practiced ease he shifted his grip and triggered Autumn Spiral to transform.

When he'd been taken under Jiraiya for training, nothing had been spared from the old perv's analysis. They'd focused on his strengths and tried to cover each and every single weakness -and he'd had _a lot_ of those- in painstaking detail. He had worked hard to continue that trend even when Jiraiya was away. Lessen his weaknesses and improve his strengths.

One thing Jiraiya learned early on was very simple. Naruto went overboard. If it fired bullets, there needed to be a lot. If it exploded, it needed to be impressive. If it cut it had to be through anything. If it hit it needed to be _hard_.

Despite what some would assume, Jiraiya had absolutely agreed with Naruto's logic. Not that the man would ever admit it to other people.

If you had to do something then it _needed_ to be flashy, loud and stylish. Otherwise what was the _point_?

Through trial, error, and argument, they had eventually settled on a weapon that suited Naruto's tactics.

He was a natural fighter who excelled at using his bare limbs. He didn't care for the practiced arcs and parries of the sword. He preferred up close melees instead of long range battles. He worked best under pressure. He didn't want something overly complicated to maintain and repair.

Autumn Spiral was not meant to be subtle. It was like its owner: loud, blunt and relentless.

The locks between a few of the panels on the bottom clicked. Two sections of the box, each roughly a square inch, swung down in sync. Each section was still connected to the main box at the center of the bottom side. A barrel extended out of each of the two openings then lowered again as a second, wider barrel followed. The two long cylinders, side by side, acted as a handle. In two simple motions, the large box had turned into a warhammer. Its head was fairly small, but it made up for that in the speed of its swings.

Autumn Spiral had two modes. Though he _did_ prefer the other form, the hammer was extremely useful for bringing his strength to bear on a single target. With the Air Dust emission system in the hammer head, he could accelerate his swings immensely and change their course faster than most people expected.

It was moments like this that he enjoyed the hammer most. A lot of force onto a single, unsuspecting target.

He waited until he was almost directly on top of the pack of Grimm.

Naruto hefted his hammer over his head and activated the vents. Just as Naruto swung the weapon down a burst of high speed wind was propelled out of the vents along the hammer head. The wind exhaust sent the velocity of his swing to overdrive. He spun with his hammer, flipping head over heels before landing the blow directly on top of the Ursa's head.

The Grimm didn't have a chance. The bear's head caved in instantly and the hammer kept going. It plowed through the Grimm's neck, ribcage and abdomen. Even though Autumn Spiral was a blunt weapon, the speed behind the swing cleaved the monster in half.

Naruto slammed into the ground with a heavy grunt and his shoes dug into the forest soil from the impact. He let the swing continue past his feet. He turned his body to the right and shifted the direction of Autumn. He swung the hammer up and into the chin of the next Ursa. Its head snapped backwards with a wet crunch and it was lifted off its feet into the air.

Three more Ursai ran at him. He spun the hammer over his head, knocking two of the Grimm backwards.

He changed his grip, quickly planted the hammer head into the ground and pulled himself up along the shaft and lifted his legs. He landed a double sidekick on the third Ursa. He sent a huge pulse of Aura through his legs and feet, creating an orange shockwave as the hit connected. The Ursa was literally blown apart by the impact.

To most, an Aura shockwave was considered a finishing move. Something to use against larger Grimm once there was a clear shot at a vital point.

But Naruto had a _lot_ of Aura. Unless he was in a marathon of combat, there wasn't much need for him to hold back on using the technique.

One of the Grimm he'd knocked down stood back up and roared. In total, there were five Ursai in the area and rapidly closing the distance.

Naruto was still wearing a wide grin as he transformed Autumn Spiral into its other form.

Despite knowing better, a sarcastic thought crossed his mind. _'Seriously, Grimm just don't learn.'_

The barrels retracted and the section folded back down into the box. He tossed the box lightly into the air to let it finish. The back side of the box folded inward, leaving a large opening. Then the locks throughout it came undone.

The orange metal box fell apart into two pieces. Each piece looked like a smaller version of Autumn Spiral's box form, only with the back panels removed. The depressions on the box didn't end, but continued inward to create a matching side panel complete with more Dust vents.

Naruto swiftly put his hands and forearms into the two pieces. The locks turned again, latching the smaller segments of Autumn Spiral onto his forearm protectors. The orange metal gauntlets covered the top and sides of his arms, with the barrels now positioned next to his fists. On the sides of the gauntlets, along his forearms, the air vents were silent and waiting to be used.

The pair of gauntlets mimicked the greaves that were connected to his ninja sandals: a pair of armored coverings with the Air Dust emitters on either side of his limbs.

Clad with his gauntlets and greaves, Naruto rushed forward to fight the other Ursai.

Naruto did a running jump, landing a powerful axe kick directly on the first Ursa's head. He kicked off the stumbling beast towards the ground. He landed on his hands and kicked the Ursa in the back a few times. He finished the Ursa by readying another Aura shockwave channeled through his greaves. The next pair of kicks slammed into the Ursa so hard it went tumbling away with its back and spine crushed into pulp.

He did a quick flip to get upright and took stock of the remaining Grimm.

The blonde turned to one of the Ursa in particular.

This Grimm seemed a little smarter than the rest. It was holding back, watching and growling as the others closed in on him. Naruto decided to take it out of the fight before it had any ideas.

He ran towards it. His fears were confirmed as the Grimm tried to run behind one of its group and avoid a fight.

Naruto wasn't going to have it. He increased his speed further and activated his gauntlets' vents for a split second. In moments he was up close with the Grimm.

He punched again and again, stepping forward with each hit as he pushed the Grimm backwards. He ended the flurry of hits with two heavy strikes that drove the Ursa into the trunk of a nearby tree.

He turned on his heel and intercepted a swipe aimed at his head. His metal gauntlets met the bone claws of the Grimm midway. Naruto's strength won out, pushing the Grimm off balance as its arm was flung back. The faunus reached up to the Ursa's shoulders, got a good grip, and pushed off the ground harshly. He twisted his knees, back and arms as he moved, shifting his movements back to the ground. He had made sure to push off the ground with enough force to keep his speed up and limit the Grimm's ability to react. As he moved over the Grimm's head, he kept his grip. Once his feet touched the ground he heaved the Grimm from behind him, over his head and threw it headfirst into the other Grimm at the tree trunk.

Two more Grimm left.

He jumped up and punched the next Ursa in the face with a right hook and a shockwave. The gauntlet buried itself in the side of the Grimm's head before it exploded, flipping the creature sideways in a macabre cartwheel.

He pushed off the Grimm's body and used the momentum to spin, bringing his legs around to strike the last Ursa.

He slammed two armored feet into the side of the Ursa's torso. He used the vents in both his gauntlets and greaves. The faunus, still midair from using an Ursa as a springboard, spun faster from the additional force and increased the arc of the spinning kick. When the trajectory was right, Naruto cut the vents and let the Grimm fly. It went skidding along the ground dozens of feet until it rammed into the other Grimm piled at the tree's base.

Naruto landed in a crouch as the Grimm struggled over one another to stand up.

He raised both of his arms and leveled them at the cluster of Grimm. The same barrels that acted as the hammer's shaft was now being used to fire Autumn Spiral's ranged munitions. He held his arms in place as steady as he could and was prepared to use his Dust vents to further stabilize his aim. Even with his Aura and strength, he didn't enjoy having his arm wrenched around from being careless.

…that had happened more than once when he was learning to use it.

Naruto and Jiraiya had debated endlessly about what Naruto could be trusted to use. Naruto said he wanted explosions. Jiraiya said "Not until you're until older". In the end the young faunus's whining had made Jiraiya agree to any weapon as long it wasn't a grenade or rocket.

Naruto returned from the manufactory with a heavy machine gun.

On its own it was a powerful weapon. When augmented with his large reserves of Aura, it was on par with an anti-tank rifle.

With a single 'click' the gauntlet roared. Naruto's feet dug into the soil from the recoil. A short barrage of large, burning orange bullets were propelled out of the barrel…

Straight into an Ursa's chest as it stood up in front of its brethren. The heavy rounds tore through its chest and continued on, striking the monsters behind it. A fraction of a second after they embedded themselves in the pile of Grimm, the rounds detonated in a fireball of Dust-fueled explosives.

Jiraiya had said no explosions until he was older. Well, he was older now, wasn't he? Exact wording was important, ya'know?

It may have been a of waste of high quality ammo, but he _did_ want to make a good impression on whoever might be watching.

Naruto watched as the explosion engulfed the pile of Grimm. He waited until he was sure one wasn't going to make a surprise attack out of the smoke.

Then he raised his hands in the air while shaking his hips.

"Aw, yeah! Who's awesome? I'm awesome! Yeah!"

Good impressions. Yes. Definitely.

After spending far too long self-congratulating, he pulled out his scroll and checked his compass app. He turned in the direction he thought the northern temple would be and made it all of a dozen steps before he remembered something. Or rather, he realized he forgot something.

 _'Wait a second.'_ Naruto wondered. _'Are we supposed to team up and then head north, or head north and then team up?'_

Naruto turned around in a circle from where he was standing. His ears twitched slightly at the muffled noises in the distance. Two different types of gunfire that way, which meant two people. Sounds of growling getting closer from that way, which meant Grimm.

He supposed he could stick around here and search for someone to pair up with… but he also wanted to get moving.

The fox faunus scratched his whiskers marks gently. "Oh, well. I'm sure I'll find someone eventually."

Naruto shrugged and started to jog forward. He held his arms together and let the interior locks on Autumn Spiral click into place before he slid the pieces off his arms. The rear openings for his arms sealed shut. It took only a few seconds for the two gauntlets to become a simple box again.

Then the two barrels swung down again and extended. He grabbed the handle before letting the hammer head rest over his shoulder. He leapt up to a nearby tree branch and started making his way north.

* * *

Velvet Scarlatina was about to enter the water to cross the small river when she noticed something. She focused her attention on a tree that was growing in the river. It was close to the far bank and looked like any of the other trees in the area.

Her eyes narrowed.

"I see you." Velvet spoke quietly.

A Carnage Snapper. Not a small one, but definitely not one of the larger Snappers either. That kind of elder Grimm could crush small river boats in its jaws alone and swallow a human whole.

The Snapper was waiting there, as its kind was known for doing. It looked mostly like a crocodile. With its head submerged and thick moss covering the white bone markings on its back, it looked like an old rotting log.

Countless humans over the years had fallen prey to that tactic. All because they hadn't paid enough attention.

 _'Not_ this _Huntress.'_ Velvet thought to herself.

Velvet ran up the side of a nearby tree and back flipped onto a branch.

She reached back to her wooden box and hesitated. The jump was fairly long, but did she really want to use up one her limited copies for something like this? It might be worthwhile to just fight the Grimm instead...

Velvet reaffirmed her choice. She made a few small jumps to the trees behind her and then turned back to the river. She retraced her path, picking up speed as she went.

She leaped forward off the branch and jumped through the air with one final push from her legs. Even with the built up speed, the girl almost didn't make it.

Velvet reached her hands out as she neared the tree that the Snapper was using to anchor itself in the flowing river. Her hands wrapped around one of the closer branches and she used her momentum to swing upwards. She tucked in her legs and planted them on the top side of the tree branch. Her hair flipped around her as she finished the maneuver.

She exhaled softly and smirked at the unaware Grimm beneath her.

The rabbit faunus crouched and then took another jump forward. This time she was close enough to the shore that she didn't even need to use her Dust. She landed with a soft thump on the damp soil.

The brunette turned, mockingly waved goodbye at the Grimm still waiting in the river, and then made her way deeper into the Emerald Forest.

* * *

The water based Grimm remained motionless as it felt something enter the river. It didn't know how long it had waited. Weeks, months, maybe years. Its eyes, submerged beneath the water, opened slowly. They saw the legs of a human kicking up dirt and silt as it walked on the riverbed.

It remained still. The human reached the halfway point of the river. Still the Grimm didn't leave its spot from its position next to the tree.

The human continued to wade through the water. Closer. _Closer_.

Now.

Its massive jaws opened and reached out. It raised its head above the water to see its target, but the splashing water obscured its vision. But it could see well enough to know the human was in range. The heavy teeth and powerful jaw muscles clamped down onto the human's waist.

The Snapper thrashed and rolled its heavy body. The elongated, crocodilian tail whipped back and forth to further increase its momentum. Due to the Grimm's large size, it was notoriously easy for a Snapper to grab hold of a human and enter a death spiral. The Snapper would spin until its prey was disoriented, drowning, and ultimately dead.

The problem was the prey wasn't rolling.

It shifted its bulky body to the left. It didn't roll. It thrashed to the right. The prey still didn't move.

The Grimm stopped further attempts in confusion. It opened its eyes. Though the right half of its body was submerged in the water, the left half was above the waterline.

It took in the sight of green cloth and armor and a soft shimmer of light where its jaws were locked around the human's midsection. Then it looked further up at the human it had caught.

Yatsuhashi Daichi stared at the Grimm with a blank expression. The Grimm's bright red eye stared back. He inhaled slightly and raised his sword from its holster.

The Snapper made one last attempt at entering a death roll. It didn't work. Its prey was simply too large, too strong, and too rooted to move.

Yatsuhashi brought the sword down in a mighty swing.

The ground rumbled and groaned from the impact. The nearby trees swayed and the entire area was flooded with leaves that had been shaken off their branches. The river water was _blasted_ away in all directions from the power behind his sword slash. The flow of the river was actually halted for a few brief moments as the water was pushed backwards.

Then physics took over. The water from upstream quickly rushed back in to fill the void, splashing the tall Huntsman in training and sweeping away the Grimm that had attacked him.

Well… _half_ of the Grimm that had attacked him.

Yatsuhashi calmly placed his sword back onto its harness on his back. With a grunt he pried open the Grimm's jaws still gripping his midsection and got back to wading through the shallow water. He didn't look back as the front half of the Snapper was dragged away by the current.

* * *

From his spot up at the top of a tall tree, Naruto pulled his goggles up from his neck. He placed them over his eyes and activated the zoom feature. They were definitely useful but his goggles were also pretty cheap. Unlike the expensive models that had motion trackers, night vision, or infrared, his simply had a magnification function.

He looked to the south and tried to gauge his distance from the cliff side. He took his time to scan the surroundings for any fellow students.

There were two students wearing armor off to east. They were cresting a small hill, which was the only reason Naruto could see them at all. The forest was simply too dense. Though Konoha had similar problems regarding visibility in the forests that sprawled across the region, many ninja knew the forests like the back of their hands.

Here? He was out of luck.

The faunus sighed in exasperation. He scratched the back of his neck as he thought his situation over. He'd made it a _long_ way from the cliff but he still hadn't come across anyone.

 _'Why is my luck bad with things like this?'_

The blonde blinked suddenly as his ears twitched. He pushed the goggles back up around his forehead and tried to focus on what he was hearing and where it was coming from.

Grunts and snarls. Close. Too close for comfort. But he was also the top of the… of the tree.

Naruto leaned forward to look down at the base of the tree trunk. There was pack of Beowulves sniffing around but they didn't seem to realize he was up at the top.

He grinned. A perfect ambush. He'd make one last look around and then kill the Grimm. That should help his mood. He put his goggles back on and made another sweep of the forest.

Naruto's eyes narrowed as he caught movement. Was that…?

He took a few steps to the right and zoomed in further. It _was_.

 _'Huh. Jaune and Pyrrha met up. That's good.'_

He adjusted his goggles to make the image less fuzzy. They were standing next to a sheer rock face far up ahead, where part of the forest ended along a cliff line. He saw them gesturing at a cave entrance and speaking to each other before heading inside.

"Wait, are we supposed to go into caves?" That changed everything. He'd passed at least one big hole in the ground a ways back.

Naruto's attention on Pyrrha and Jaune was broken by more sound. A _lot_ of sound.

The Grimm at the base of the tree started howling and barking and roaring. He heard -and felt- a rapid series of heavy impacts that caused the entire tree he was on to shake. Coupled with the impacts was the _sound_. It was like an unholy combination of a train engine and a machine gun.

What the hell _was_ that?

The tree he was on stopped shaking.

The tree he was on started to _tilt_.

He didn't pause as he jumped up and leapt to the center trunk. He spun himself around to the topside of the now falling tree and slid Autumn Spiral from its holster on his back. Naruto didn't bother with the hammer form at all and immediately started shifting the weapon into his gauntlets. As he ran down the tree trunk he slid his arms into place and cocked the barrels to fire.

Depending on what was at the base of the tree, he might need the firepower.

He would have run down the entire trunk if it hadn't been for a large tree branch in his way. He put his strength behind his jump, vaulting over the branch in a forward flip.

As he went through the air he noticed that the pack of Beowulves that had been at the tree were still present. They were also everywhere.

 _Literally everywhere_. There were legs and arms thrown around at random, torsos and heads scattered in chunky pieces, and bony spines and claws littering the surroundings. There were actually Grimm chunks hanging from branches in nearby trees.

The tree finished its descent and crashed into the forest floor with a resounding boom. Naruto landed on his feet with a grunt and his arms level to fire a second later.

He was met with a smirk and expensive sunglasses.

"You're a little late for a rescue, foxy."

Naruto stared at Coco for a long, long moment. _She_ did this? She had butchered a horde of Grimm and didn't have a single hair out of place. He managed snapped himself out of confusion and countered her statement.

"Yeah, well. The hero is always the last to arrive, ya'know?"

He lowered his gauntlets a little but still had them half-raised in case she missed any Grimm. He kind of doubted it, though.

Coco chuckled at his response. "I suppose I can't argue with that logic." She put on a slightly more serious look. "Do you have a partner?"

"Nope. You?"

"I've been all on my own all this time." She waved at her face daintily and then smiled more genuinely. "It looks like we're a pair. Coco Adel."

He could have gotten a worse partner. As long as she didn't sneak into his bed like she had with Yang. And maybe if she didn't call him 'foxy'.

"Naruto Uzumaki." The blonde scratched a whisker mark in embarrassment. "Uh, I don't want you to take this the wrong way but I want to ask… this was all you? How?" He gestured at the pieces of Grimm and the tree trunk that had been reduced to pulp and splinters.

"This was _all_ me." Coco put one hand on her hip and the other on her chest. She smirked confidently. "As for how…" She reached down and patted her handbag. "You should know better than to ask what's in a lady's purse."

Naruto blinked then lowered his gaze to her bag. Like everything else Coco wore, it seemed expensive. A custom strap made to look like an ammunition belt. The exterior was probably leather and there were copper studs all along the bottom. But his eyes also noticed that the latch seemed too… solid. The whole handbag just seemed too solid, too sturdy. Even the handle seemed unusually firm in her grip. So it was probably reinforced with a metal alloy.

It was obviously a weapon of some kind. But what exactly?

Before Naruto could ask, Coco spoke again.

"Speaking of weapons…" She leaned forward and ran a finger around the edge of one of Autumn Spiral's wide barrels. She raised a perfectly manicured eyebrow. "Compensating for something?"

Naruto stared at her deadpan.

He'd been on the receiving end of jokes like that far, far too many times. For most of them he hadn't had a comeback ready. Naruto had gotten so sick of Kiba's jokes he worked on a retort that he could use whenever somebody made one. And _memorized_ it.

"No, I like to keep things in proportion, ya'know? People say that the weapon is an extension of the wielder, and I think mine represents some of the best parts of me."

There was a moment of silence before Coco's smirk widened.

"Oh, I _like_ you."

* * *

Velvet smiled as she crouched behind a patch of thick shrubbery. She traced the edge of her wooden box, resting at the small of her back. She may not have found a decent target earlier, but now she had one that was perfect.

In the clearing ahead was five Boarbatusks.

Individually, a single Boarbatusk was weak. It was only a danger if you let it start spinning and stood still in front of it. It was a relatively simple matter to hit the Grimm on the side or disrupt its roll and go for the kill.

With five of them… it would be a perfect test of her skill and her improvements to her copying light-weapon system.

Velvet raised her stance slightly. She steadied her breathing and held her hand out behind her. With a flicker of blue, a large sniper-scythe was in her hand. She cocked the weapon and readied herself. With a shot she was off.

The first Grimm died with incredible ease. The shot had propelled her straight at it. She passed over the Grimm's head and looked back. The curved blade of the scythe was positioned perfectly at the monster's neck. It was decapitated without her needing to move a muscle.

Her feet deftly touched the ground and she changed the direction of herself and her weapon.

She fired another round from the light-scythe, pushing herself forward again. She swung the scythe overhead and downwards, the blade falling just behind the body of another Grimm. As the handle went upwards she let herself be pulled with it.

The blade trailed along the surface of the ground, curving beneath the second Boarbatusk's abdomen. The barrel shaft of the weapon was pointed upward and Velvet was left holding it directly above the Grimm. She fired again and bisected the monster. This time she was shot straight up.

She used the new height advantage to point herself at the next one. She fired again, spinning the scythe over and over as she rocketed down. With a swing she embedded the tip of the blade through the top of the Grimm's head as it was about to curl into a ball.

Velvet turned to the last two Boarbatusks. The scythe disappeared in a blink and was replaced with a shield and a javelin.

She raised the light-shield just in time for a rolling Boarbatusk to slam into it. Velvet pushed back against the Grimm and spun the weapon around. It shifted from a javelin into a rifle. She put the butt of the rifle up against the shield and fired. The recoil pushed the shield into the Grimm and broke both its rolling spin and its curled up posture.

With the Grimm's momentum broken and it falling backwards, Velvet quickly shifted the javelin into a double-edged short sword. She lunged forward and swept the blade back and forth against its undefended underbelly. With three quick swings the Grimm's torso was shredded.

Velvet turned to the final Grimm. With one more twirl in her hands, Velvet shifted the sword back into a javelin and took aim at the Grimm's face. She threw the light-weapon and fired a shot from the barrel as it left her fingers. The high speed lance rammed itself right down the charging creature's mouth.

Its legs immediately slackened and the beast skidded to a halt at her feet. The copied javelin in its mouth flickered away as did the shield on her arm.

She pulled out her scroll and checked the auto-timer. She smiled at the results. She had improved the amount of the time a single weapon could be generated. Not by much, but it meant her adjustments were on the right track.

Velvet paused as she heard rustling in the bushes. She raised her fists in preparation for an attack but she didn't want to use her copy-system again if she didn't need to.

She waited silently.

Then she heard wood snap from _behind_ her.

Velvet spun on her heel just in time to see another Boarbatusk charging at her.

A part of her wanted to activate her weapon again. She had created it herself and loved using and improving it. But she also recognized that the copies were simply too valuable to waste on a single Boarbatusk. She prepared to leap to the side and use her martial arts to engage the Grimm.

She didn't get the chance.

A huge, copper colored sword spun past her. It cleaved the rushing Grimm right down the center. The two halves fell with a nasty plop. The blade itself spun into the ground, leaving a deep gouge and burying itself almost the hilt.

Velvet gaped at the sight. It was only when she heard a voice behind her that she was startled back to normal.

"I'm Yatsuhashi. I'm pleased to meet you."

Velvet turned around and came face to face with… a green robe. She looked up. A black undershirt. And up. A neck. And _up_.

"…hello." She offered weakly.

His head was above her _ears_. How tall _was_ he?

"Hello. I heard fighting and decided to see if you needed any help. I'm glad I did, though I'm sure you could have handled it." Yatsuhashi stared down at her and smiled softly.

"I- yes. Yes, thank you. I probably could have but it did catch me off guard." Velvet tried to put herself more at ease. He seemed nice, even though his height was daunting to the much smaller rabbit faunus.

Stupid instincts.

The tall swordsman nodded slowly. "I was wondering if you had a teammate."

The faunus looked surprised for a moment before she shook her head and smiled. So this Yatsuhashi was going to be her teammate? That didn't seem so bad. He'd certainly made a good first impression.

"No, I don't. Do you?" She asked just to make sure.

"No. I did come across a pair earlier, but they had partnered up. " Yatsuhashi gestured to the southern edge of the forest where they had all been dropped in.

Velvet blushed as she realized she hadn't given her own name yet.

"Oh! Right! I'm Velvet. Velvet Scarlatina. I look forward to working with you." She smiled up at him shyly. Her neck was starting to strain from the angle but she thought it would be rude to back away from him.

"Yatsuhashi Daichi. It is an honor." He put his hands together, closed his eyes and bowed formally. His forehead actually brushed against the top of her rabbit ears.

Yatsuhashi's eyes snapped open and he pulled back, looking embarrassed. There was an awkward pause for a moment before Velvet hesitantly spoke.

"Well… since we're partnered up now, do you want to head up to the temple? I can't imagine it's too far."

Yatsuhashi nodded in agreement. He walked around Velvet and pulled his sword out of the ground. He spent several seconds brushing dirt off the blade of his weapon before holstering it and nodding to her.

The new team walked to the densely forested north end of the clearing, idly discussing if they should head northwest or northeast.

They pushed aside a branch and came face to face with a Boarbatusk.

A Boarbatusk the size of a small _bus_. Thick armor covered its back and sides with curved spines jutting out. Its tusks were enormous, thicker than tree branches and longer than Yatsuhashi was tall.

"Damn my ears." Had she really not heard something of this size? Had she been focused too much on the sound of the smaller Grimm? On Yatsuhashi? Had it just been _watching_ as she murdered the lesser of its kind?

The Boarbatusk leaned forward and snorted. The rancid smell of its breath hit them in face. They nearly gagged from the odor.

Yatsuhashi slowly reached back for his sword. Velvet raised her fists as the golden box at her side activated. It didn't create any weapon but the projector flickered on with a soft blue glow, waiting to be used.

"Fighting retreat?" Velvet asked as she backed up.

With each of their steps backwards the Boarbatusk took one forward. Its body was low to the ground, shielding its underbelly from the pair.

"Agreed."

* * *

AN:

First, I want to respond to a few reviews about how 'Naruto' my Naruto is. Trust me, it was my _biggest_ concern in choosing a fusion over a crossover. I spoke to multiple people and got input about it.

RWBY is the dominant verse, but I have not done away with the Naruto-side of things. They just aren't in the focus at the moment. Trust me. Things will be happening later. But what am I keeping? What am I changing around?

You'll have to keep reading to find out. I'll have to keep writing too, I guess.

Now. You have no idea how long I spent pondering teams. I came up with… four different team arrangements. As in four _sets_ of teams. With names for all of them and how they would affect the plotlines. But in the end, I wanted to keep certain dynamics between individuals.

I want the conflict between Weiss and Blake and Nora and Ren playing off each other. I thought deeply about whether I should keep Ruby and Yang on a team or separate the sisters. There's just so much good interaction that happens in the show and I didn't want to take that away.

Anyway, there _will_ be interaction and conflict between both teams and teammates.

Finally, Autumn Spiral. I am still going through revisions, I'll admit. I thought of what fits Naruto's fighting style as a close-quarters 'prodigy with some effort' with good strategy, what is too complicated, what is too simple, and what makes it similar/different from other weapons.

Once again, please read, review and enjoy.

EDIT (why am I so dumb and indecisive about this weapon?):

Essentially it's two smaller, blocky gauntlets pieces that can connect together into one larger hammer. The small pieces wrap around his forearms and to become gauntlets. He has to be somewhat careful with ammunition for it. Each gauntlet can only carry so many rounds before needing a reload. The magazines are straight, so he has fewer shots than a curved cartridge like Crescent Rose does. He can supplement the rounds with his Aura: the more he puts in, the more power the round has. That's actually my head canon for the show anyway.

The heavy machine gun rounds are cartridge fed, loaded sideways into the upper panel of the gauntlet. It fires 50 caliber rounds, but at a faster pace than Crescent Rose. I was putting too much focus on firepower and limiting the functionality of the weapon, but by removing the anti-tank rounds, I lose the uniqueness. Higher bore weapons are cool, but giving him so few shots isn't smart and will definitely limit what I can use it for.

The greaves are considered part of of Autumn Spiral but are no longer part of the transformation with the gauntlets. It's a little more streamlined this way.


End file.
